Grant Park, home to leisure walks and picnics decorated by carefully laid brick pathways, contiguous green spaces, and the booming Buckingham Fountain with the Chicago skyline as backdrop for three days traded in its calm environment for loud crowds of energetic, bustling, loyal sports fans excited to be a part of the NFL Draft Town.
Football, the American sport beloved by so many had another exciting weekend. And no it wasn’t kickoff season or the Super Bowl, rather it was draft time.
As jerseys and fans came out, and the sports spirit was alive and thriving in Grant Park for the second consecutive year in Chicago. Hosting the 81st NFL Draft, Chicago welcomed players, fans and visitors from all the country to show support for their team’s players and partake in various interactive NFL festivities and …show more content…
I came with my boyfriend,” said Chicagoan festival-goer, Sarah Knoerl. “But it was still fun. They had a lot of other things besides the draft to entertain yourself with and lots to eat. The people watching was pretty great too. Plus, I though Chicago overall did an amazing job showcasing this all. Its definitely an amazing city I take for granted.” The first draft took place at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Philadelphia on February 8, 1936. Only 90 names were written on a blackboard in the conference room where the teams chose. Since then the draft has become an anticipated event each year. While the location of the draft has continually changed over the years to accommodate more fans, as the event has gained popularity, the draft spent a great of its history in New York City. Until the past two years where NFL Draft has occurred in Chicago.
“Chicago is being recognized by the NFL as a city that can be seen by fans as a great destination for such an important event for all 32 teams,” said Fezzuoglio. “To me having the NFL Draft here shows that Chicago is seen by the NFL as one of the top cities in the
Football, the American sport beloved by so many had another exciting weekend. And no it wasn’t kickoff season or the Super Bowl, rather it was draft time.
As jerseys and fans came out, and the sports spirit was alive and thriving in Grant Park for the second consecutive year in Chicago. Hosting the 81st NFL Draft, Chicago welcomed players, fans and visitors from all the country to show support for their team’s players and partake in various interactive NFL festivities and …show more content…
I came with my boyfriend,” said Chicagoan festival-goer, Sarah Knoerl. “But it was still fun. They had a lot of other things besides the draft to entertain yourself with and lots to eat. The people watching was pretty great too. Plus, I though Chicago overall did an amazing job showcasing this all. Its definitely an amazing city I take for granted.” The first draft took place at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Philadelphia on February 8, 1936. Only 90 names were written on a blackboard in the conference room where the teams chose. Since then the draft has become an anticipated event each year. While the location of the draft has continually changed over the years to accommodate more fans, as the event has gained popularity, the draft spent a great of its history in New York City. Until the past two years where NFL Draft has occurred in Chicago.
“Chicago is being recognized by the NFL as a city that can be seen by fans as a great destination for such an important event for all 32 teams,” said Fezzuoglio. “To me having the NFL Draft here shows that Chicago is seen by the NFL as one of the top cities in the